Liberty's Western equestrian place-winners pose with their ribbons and Assistant Coach Kylie Morse (in blue).
Western equestrian team opens Region 4 competition with third-, fourth-place showings at Clemson
9/29/2025 11:52:00 AM | Equestrian
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While its Hunt Seat riders had their first two shows at William & Mary and Christopher Newport canceled by rain over the weekend, Liberty’s Western team showed plenty of potential in its season openers in South Carolina.
Liberty University's Western equestrian team got off to a running start to its 2025-26 season in Region 4, riding to a fourth-place finish at its opening show last Saturday at Clemson and third-place performance in Sunday's second event at the same site.
The Hunt Seat team, meanwhile, had its first two IHSA shows at the College of William & Mary on Saturday and Christopher Newport University on Sunday postponed due to standing water in those two programs' outdoor riding rings.
Last weekend at Clemson, a handful of Liberty's Western riders placed in the top three of their respective events. On Saturday, Sept. 20, sophomore Rebekah Isenhour finished first in Beginner Horsemanship while Makenzie Cox and fellow senior Shelby Coble tied for third in Level 1 Horsemanship. Sophomore Anna Norris brought home second place in Rookie A Horsemanship and junior Ayva Anderson placed third in Rookie B Horsemanship.
Then, on Sunday, Sept. 21, Alex Dixon finished first in Open Reining while Angel Lundin captured a blue ribbon in Beginner Horsemanship and, Coble (Level 1 Horsemanship), Norris (Rookie A Horsemanship), and Anderson (Rookie B Horsemanship) all rode to first-place performances.Â
These were the Western team's first two competitions under the reins of Assistant Coach Kylie Morse, who competed at Castleton (Vt.) University until she graduated in 2020 and began working in the professional riding world. In 2023, she moved to Virginia and joined Liberty's equestrian staff as the assistant director of equestrian operations, a role she continues to perform.
The Hunt Seat team graduated the majority of its riders from last season, but returns senior Katie Staib and junior Madeleine Hammond, who advanced to the IHSA Zone 4 competition with top-two showings at the Region 4 championships hosted at the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center, as well as junior Sophia Golden, who narrowly missed qualifying. The Lady Flames welcome the addition of four new freshmen — Kelley Berlin, Leah Burnett, Anna Talmadge, and Marissa Wilson — looking to show their riding skills and represent Liberty at their first collegiate competitions.
Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center Director and Hunt Seat Head Coach Suzanne Flaig hopes the shows in the Williamsburg, Va., area can be rescheduled in October.
The  team will look forward to IHSA Hunt Seat shows over Homecoming Weekend at the Equestrian Center on Nov. 1 and Sweet Briar College on Nov. 2 before concluding the fall semester at Randolph-Macon College on Nov. 15. Â
By Amory Doyle/Student WriterLiberty's Hunt Seat, Western equestrian programs flanked by Head Coach Suzanne Flaig (left), Assistant Coach Kimmie Counts (right)
